but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, You must be circumcised and keep the Law; to whom we gave no such commandment;

And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),

that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

And many will follow their destructive ways, through whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

Does not the potter have authority over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?

What if God, determining to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath rendered fit unto destruction,

and a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed.

By covetousness they will exploit you with well-turned words; whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness terrified me;

Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor has stood in the way of sinners, nor has sat in the seat of the scornful.

Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood on the world of the ungodly;

and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those intending to live ungodly;

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same Word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live with sound mind, righteously, and godly in the present age,

watching carefully that no one fall short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and through this many become defiled;

that there be no prostitute or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food gave away his birthright.

as free, yet not using liberty as a pretext for evil, but as bondservants of God.

and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through wantonness, the ones who have actually escaped from those living in error.

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the full true knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the end is worse for them than the beginning.

But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to his own vomit, and, a sow, having been washed, to her wallowing in the mire.

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and reprobate with regard to every good work.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

Who is a liar but he who denies, saying that Jesus is not the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my stronghold; I shall not be greatly moved.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent.

which He will reveal in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and do homage before You, for Your righteous deeds have been manifested.